randalevan's blog

2012: Why not let it be a year of promise and possibility?

When was the last time someone told you, "You can't do that!"? Well, I want to ask you this: "Who say's you can't do it?" And, "How do they know anyway?" 

I see no reason why 2012 cannot be a year of promise and possibility for you and me. A year in which each one of us can say, "Wow, I didn't think I could do that. I guess I was wrong. I am so glad I tried!"

I came across an article about former Olympic swimmer, Janet Evans, that really inspired me. (*If you want to read the article, go to: http://www.usatoday.com/sports/2011-06-10-janet-evans-comeback_n.htm.)

Evans retired from competitive swimming in 1996 and focused on creating a life outside the pool. In 2011, she felt drawn to return to one of the deepest passions of her life: competitive swimming. Could she make the 2012 US Olympic Swim Team?  Is that a realistic goal given the fact that she turned 40 in August, and, that no one has ever made a come back after having been away for fifteen years? Time will tell if Evans can do it or not. From my perspective it is not whether or not she makes the team. What is cool is that she is trying. And she is trying hard.

"Trust Me" and the Pacific Grove Triathlon.

Given the fact I will enter into my fifth decade tomorrow, I decided I would get one more blog post in while I am still in my forties!

I wanted to write a quick post about an amazing experience I had two weeks ago today. As many of you know, I started doing triathlons in June, a small miracle in and of itself, given the fact I hadn't been able to run (*knee problems) for over ten years, not to mention the fact that I never swim. Anyway...

Immediately following my first "tri" in Morro Bay, I signed-up for my second in Pacific Grove...scheduled for September 10th. All my training was going as planned, and except for the occasional jitters and anxiety (*prayer works great...as does telling myself to relax!), I was good to go. Well, until early Friday morning...September the 9th.

Morro Bay Triathlon - June 5th, 2011

Well, I did it! I completed my first triathlon. What a journey it has been to reach June 5th...and I am SO glad I did it! Here are some photos that I would like to share with you, together with a little story line.

Morro Bay Triathlon Details

Well, I had two people say something like, "Wow, dude, you're gonna run a marathon?!" I think people asked me this because when they think triathlon, they think IRON MAN. (*I am really hoping that I joined the WIMPY MAN triathlon!)

So, here is the low-down: I will be doing a 1.5K swim, a 40K bike ride, and a 10K run...which in my case my be a crawl!

If you are interested in joining me, check-out the info at: http://www.morrobaytri.com/course.html

I think we're gonna have a blast! And, you can bet I will be hitting the gym bright and early tomorrow morning!

Triathlon Training Begins!

Well, I have been thinking lately. I have entered my 50th year. *I think it is important to note that I continue to be still much, much younger than Jacquie. But the truth is, I am about to exit my 4th decade and enter my 5th. I may need to consult with her to find out what it is like, given she has ample experience : )

Alright, getting back to my thinking of late. My daughter, Gloria, has been reading Runner's World and wanting to start running again. My nephew, Mark, is turning 30 this year and is planning to run a marathon. So, I thought: "Hmmm, what about me?" Well, I have decided to train for a marathon.

Today is January 1st, 2011 and I just went out for a jog. (*It is a long story, but I basically have not been able to run or jog without pain for about ten years. It all began with a very long flight to Santiago de Chile. My knees have clicked & poped every time I run ever since!) Well, I have lost weight, ride my bike to work - about 12 miles round-trip, go the gym, etc...So, I felt ready to give it try.

I hired a full-time coach, and for the next week will have a full-time mascot...

 

(*For those of you who don't know her, this Abbey Han in a doggie-suit.)

We drove over to the Cubberley Community Center

And when we got to the track, there was a soccer team getting ready to play...and they were all dressed in the Spanish National Team's soccer jersey and shorts! This is funny for two reasons: 1. I, too, was wearing the jersey (*notice the photo above), and, 2. Our connection with Spain. I felt like it was both a sign and a smile from God. (*He has a tremendous sense of humor that we often don't give Him credit for.)

I walked a lap then ran a lap. Then did it again...

One of the things I have learned in my old age is to not be in too much of a hurry and to give my body a chance to adapt. Then I did something that I like about as much as chewing on aluminum foil...

 

I stretched. You can tell I have a good trainer...a trainer that is committed to my well-being.

Well, a New Year has begun. I have started to train for a triathon. Nothing big. I ran/walked a mile. Pretty wimpy, actually. But I can do "wimpy"...at least for now. Maybe you'll be encouraged to start something in 2011. If so, I would love to hear about it.

jacquie's 5k run - september 2009

Jacquie just ran a 5k race this morning, and I have posted an album.  (*I think it is the second album on the bottom right.)  She did a great job, and then we enjoyed breakfast together with our friends, Kevin and Janice, at the Baylands Park.

Football and an old teammate

Believe it or not, I used to play football.  Well, I used to "play" football in high school.  When I received a scholarship to play football at Cal Poly SLO (then a Div. II school), all I did was get injured.  Although I had a four-year ride that got stretched to five because I was red-shirted the first year, I only stayed for one year.  Football just wasn't fun any more.  One of my biggest dreams had come true...and it turned out to be a nightmare! (*Funny how life works...)

Why am I writing about this today?  Well, it is because of a former teammate's obituary that I read in my daughter Gloria's Cal Poly magazine. (*Yes, she is going to the same school Jacquie and I attended.  J graduated from there, I ended up finishing at SJSU.)  I was never a close friend of Mel Kaufman's, but we did play the same position - outside linebacker.

Mel was an incredible athlete.  Definitely in a league a part.  I had no idea just how much better he was than me...until he started playing for the Washington Redskins!  Not only was he a great athlete, he also treated the younger, less-experienced players like myself with kindness.  Unfortunately, most of the other juniors and seniors didn't follow his example.
I guess his death at age 50 just hits me harder today because of the recent death of another friend, Elaine Wai, who was only 39 years' old.  I feel like God is trying to teach me something about life...how fragile it is, how we shouldn't take even a day for granted.

Here are a couple of obituaries, if you would like to learn more about Mel:

http://groups.google.com/group/alt.obituaries/browse_thread/thread/f995ec095f35b3fa?pli=1

http://www.tributes.com/obituary/show/Mel-Kaufman/85228015

Watching the Olympics

I loved watching the Olympics this year. Fact is, I think I have enjoyed watching them ever since I was a boy. Seeing Michael Phelps win 8 gold medals was certainly a hi-lite. It reminded me of watching Mark Spitz swim at the Santa Clara International Swim Center in the spring of 1972, wondering how many golds he would bring home from Munich.
I have also always enjoyed watching gymnastics. What amazing athletes! I was sorry to see our women's team not win the gold medal. I was even sadder to see the way many of us responded to the news that one of the Chinese gymnasts may have lied about her age. It is not that I believe He Kexin will turn 16 by December 31st (*she looks more like 12-13 years' old to me...some say they have discovered proof that she is 14...but will we ever really know?), nor that I don't believe it is important to discover the truth. What upset me was/is our moral smugness. I mean, an American athlete would NEVER do something like that (*let's not bring up Floyd Landis' doping at the 2006 Tour de France, Bill Belichek's video taping of their opponents sidelines...and then saying the he had interpreted the rules differently (!), or all the professional baseball players who have admitted to steroid use...)
Theologian Miroslav Volf talks about this in his book, Exclusion & Embrace: A Theological Exploration of Identity, Otherness, and Reconciliation. Referring to the Balkan conflict of the 1990's and the ethnic cleansing that took place, many called the perpetrators "savages". Volf writes: "Clearly, the moral outrage which it expresses is appropriate. Yet there is something insidious about the epithet - "savages." For it describes not simply how "they" and "we" ought not to behave, but it implicitly portrays "them" as the kind of people "we" are not...Rightful moral outrage has mutated into self-deceiving moral smugness." (Page 58.)
While we should never stop calling unjust deeds unjust, we do need to step down from the moral high ground that simply doesn't belong to us. It never has, and never will.

It was Mike, not Manny

I thought coming into this post season that the Boston Red Sox were going to need more than Manny and Big Papi to get to the World Series...and then win it. And that is just what this Red Sox team did...wow!  Who would have thought that Mike Lowell would end up as the World Series MVP?  Who was counting on Jacoby Ellsbury to play so well?  Heck, I hadn't even HEARD of him before!

Ya gotta love the Red Sox!

Wow, what a game!  What a series!  What a team!  I hope the SOX sweep the Rockies!